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Show IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTS Now being Conducted at the College Farm. Government spending Money there Above regular Appro-p Appro-p r i a t i o n. Parties who are Interested In the progress of agriculture, could not spend a day that would be more Interesting Inter-esting and Instructive than to visit the experimental farm of the A. C. of U. A representative of this paper visited these mounds quite recently, and was astonished to see the giounds so thoroughly equipped and with such istematlc methods of arriving at definite and accurate conclusions In experiments. Wc were first conducted into a Held containing six acres situated on the cast side of the Greenville county road. This parcel or land is divided Into several tracts, which are subdivided sub-divided nto small parcels, each parcel being planted with products that arc Irrigated and treated distinctively to Itself. To Illustrate the procecdure: There arc ten plats or potatoes, all of ono rtrlety planted at the same time, whiclfarb Irrigated in different was, some by Hooding and others by furrows, fur-rows, hnd at different stages in the growth orHli.8 product., A fine plat of heiiiplsaTs'o planted for testing. The crooof lastxcar was sent east, and rrom - it was made a most excellent-' rope. There aie also marry different plats or wheat of the same kind. One plat receives fifteen inches of water applied at three different times, making live Inches at each h ligation. li-gation. The plat adjoining receives tho same quantity of water at two Irrigations Ir-rigations or seven and one-half Inches at each Irrigation. Other plats receive re-ceive the water at different stages In the giowth of tho grain. Tlieic arc three plats of potatoes, one plat receiving re-ceiving ten Inches In three equal Irrigations, another plat receiving ten inches of water in two iriigations and the thhd plat ten Inches at one time. While the treatment varies with the same kind of wheat and potatoes, po-tatoes, there are many other plats or different kinds that are treated In a slmlliar manner so that conclusions arc reached as to the best kinds of grain as well as the best method or treatment. Timothy, orchard glass, and lucerne arc all under test as to the amount and particular time of Irrigating that the best results may be achieved. Four plats of bromo grass and Italian Ital-ian grasses, that arc drought resistant products, are receiving considerable attention. Tho present exhibit shows that the Bromo grass unirrlgatcd Is by far the best product. Oats, barley, onions, carrots and cabbages also come In for tieatment. The tract of six acres mentioned above Is worked on the co-operative plan with the Bureau or Investigation Department or Agriculture of Washington, Wash-ington, D. C, over which Elwood Mead presides as Chief Engineer. This bureau pays one-half of the operating expenses and the A. C. of U. the other half. The Agricultural Department De-partment at Washington, is convinced that tho methods adopted by Proressor Wldtsoc In this department arc tho best In tho world, and were thereore willing to co-operate on the basis abovo mentioned. The system Is undoubtedly un-doubtedly perfect. A competent man with a weir measures every particle of water serrt upon the lands, and a cistern cis-tern catches all surplus water. This being measured, conclusions nrs accurately ac-curately reached. On the west side of the sanio road are ten acres which are used almost exclusively ex-clusively for the raising and testing of beet seed. There arc no plants being be-ing experimented upon that are of less value than sixteen per cent saccarine matter. Tills Held Is also under cooperation co-operation with the Bureau of Plant Industry at Washington. In this last Held there Is a plant called the Dwarf Essex Rape, of a rutabaga specie. This is also a drought resistant crop and Is planted by tarmeis In tho East , after tneir corrr crop Is harvested. This proves a most excellent pasturage for sheep aird hogs hi the fall. A specie of bean called the Soja bean, Is being tested. This takes nitrogen from the air and stores it In the soil, proving a gieat fertilizer. Experiments Experi-ments are also made of the evaporation evapora-tion of water In and out of the land. Forty-live different kinds or rail wheat;, thirty or spring wheat, twelve or barley and sixteen or oats are being experimented upon. Tho passeiby might form a wrong conception In casually cas-ually passing these farms, seeing the vast number or Humes, guages and boxes to measure the water. These appurtenances arc used merely to measure tho water, that the most ac-cuiate ac-cuiate conclusions may b" reached, thereby offering to the farincis thro the dlffeicnt bulletins published the result of the season's experiments on the pioducts, showing different times and amount of iriigaiiou. It can be stated In most positive terms that not one farmer in ten at the present time realizes or appreciates appreci-ates what theie Is at his very door by way of experiments In the pioducts that every farmer In the counti raises. Thev should at once put themselves them-selves in touch with Information fiec-ly fiec-ly Imparted through the bulletins or trie A. Cor V. A visit to the grounds will astonish the farmers of this county. coun-ty. Too much praise cannot bo given Piofessor Wldtsoc and his aids who have brought this sstcm of irrigation to such a stale or perfection as to Induce In-duce the officials or the Government to forma co-operation with our Institution. Insti-tution. This means a great deal when tho number of experiment stations sta-tions in the country arc considered. The amount thus invested is aside from the general appropriation from the government. |